Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng will attend the opening of the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing on Friday, the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) said in a statement tonight.

According to the statement, the chief-of-cabinet of the Chief Executive Office, Hoi Lai Fong, will accompany the chief executive on his working visit to the national capital from Wednesday until Friday.

During Ho’s absence, Secretary for Administration and Justice Andre Cheong Weng Chon will be acting Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), the statement said.

Ho, 62, is a former member of the elite NPC Standing Committee.

He relinquished his membership of the committee and NPC seat last year in the run-up to his election campaign for Chief Executive of the MSAR. He has been at the helm of the MSAR government since December 20 last year.

Macau has 12 deputies to the NPC. Macau’s NPC deputies and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will attend this month’s so-called “two sessions” in Beijing.

Macau’s first Chief Executive, Edmund Ho Hau Wah, is a vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.

According to Xinhua, he attended Sunday’s opening meeting of the 10th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing.